Foshan is now a prosperous modern city, the third largest in teeming Guangdong Province, complete with five-star hotels, rotating restaurants, electronics factories and direct trains to Hongkong. Its record as an economically successful town goes back a long way, with renowned pottery and ceramics industries that date back to the Tang and Song Dynasty.

The Baihua Plaza.

The Electrical Appliances Stores.

The China Agriculture Bank (from our hotel).

7 Days Inn - one of the leading budget hotel chains in China.

Foshan, (佛山) has its reputation as the home of Chinese martial arts. Wong Fei Hung (黃飛鴻), a legendary martial art hero, and still the popularsubject of numerous television series and films.

Foshan Wong Fei Hung (佛山黃飛鴻).

The first martial arts sifu, Ip Man (葉問) who taught Wing Chun (永春, the Chinese martial art) openly and had several students who later became martial arts teachers in their own right, including Bruce Lee (李小龍). Bruce Lee, needless me to describe more, had sparked the first major surge of interest in Chinese martial arts in the West.

The bronze statue of Grand Master Ip Man (一代宗師葉問).

Bruce Lee (國際巨星李小龍) and his sifu, Ip Man.

These three notable persons i mentioned above were originated from Foshan. (Though Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco, his ancestral hometowns include Shunde (順德), a district of Foshan.) They primarily practised Chinese martial arts and became master then turned to the iconic hero generally to the Chinese and particularly to those who like martial arts.

The Ancestral Temple (祖庙).

It is said that if you don't visit Ancestral Temple (祖庙), then you simply haven't seen Foshan. It is an artistic palace gathering ceramic, wood-carving, metal-casting, architecture arts of ancient Foshan and an important cultural relic site mainly protected by the state.

It is also the Foshan Museum (佛山博物館).

An essential Foshan attraction, the old temple houses the city's guardian where it has stood for hundreds of years. The temple still stands after enduring many wars and the cultural revolution. Much of its original architecture is still intact. The temple is now used to showcase the martial arts history and currently stage the traditional Canton opera at night.

We first came to Ip Man Tong which commemorates him.

The temple, lavishly decorated and ornate, is part of a larger complex, Ip Man Tong (葉問堂) the museum which contains rich displays and collections pertaining to martial arts.

Azazaza... it's time to show off FuFu Wing Chun.

The exhibits in Ip Man Tong are categorised into Grand Master Ip Man’s wooden dummy, the hundred or so photos and also a video of Grand Master Ip demonstrating the wooden dummy form. And the bronze statue of Grand Master Ip Man along with some candid pictures as well as the photos of Wingchun practitioners, both Chinese and foreigners training in all corners of the world. All of them in their own ways contribute to the promotion of the art of Wing Chun.

Awww... we are Wingchun practitioners.

The happy moment i wont forget.

From what I can see in Ip Man Tong, there is an abundance of information about Grand Master Ip and his students, and you will no doubt learn a lot from the visiting. I highly recommend it to those who interested in Wing Chun and indeed to martial artists of any style. It is definitely worth seeing and please don't be shy to take photos in front of the building.

We followed the tourist route.

The Memorial Hall of Huang Feihung (佛山黃飛鴻紀念館).

Next we came to the Memorial Hall of Huang Fei Hung(Wong Fei Hung) which commemorates him, puts on regular kungfu shows for martial arts fans and Wong Sifu admirers. Unfortunately we miss the performing of the kind of kungfu seen in most modern films. There's a bronze statue of Wong Fei Hung sitting in front of the building welcoming the guests to visit his house.

The ancient Chinese architecture still remained well there.

The legendary master Wong Fei Hung.

This memorial hall reproduces the style of folk residence and ancestral temple when Wong Fei Hung was alive. The building is divided into a show room, Wong Fei Hung Cinema, a hall and patio for practicing kungfu, all of these represent the charism of the great master the life. As a healer and medical doctor, master Wong practiced and taught acupuncture and other forms of traditional Chinese medicine at Po Chi Lam (寶芝林), his clinic in in Foshan is also modeled inside the building.

After the history lesson of martial arts, it's time to shoot!

Simply like the ancient-styled door.

Wong sifu really once lived in a nice place.

We are Wong Fei Hung's disciples.

We sat on the chair that used for lion dance performing.

The place where Wong Fei Hung and his had their kungfu talks.

Wong Fei Hung is my sifu now.

Jodie wanna learn kungfu from Wong Fei Hung.

FuFu and his sifu greeting everyone a happy new year.

The famous lame pose of Wong Fei Hung.

The famous FuFu Mantis Fist (富螳螂拳).

FuFu Flamingo Fist (富鶴雙拳).

Wong Fei Hung (黃飛鴻) VS Kan Yan Kin (奸人堅).

The three of us enjoyed so much!

The Ancestral Temple (祖廟).

Dont forget to burn the joss stick with blessing written on it.

Part of the temple is under preservation.

We could only take pictures in front of it.

Jodie quickly wished for.... (北帝靈應 有求必應).

The temple is the state cultural relic site.

The Wishing Tree (許願樹).

They are using the plastic mandarin orange.

We only made a wish there (didn't throw the orange).

A photo with Confucius in Foshan.

A newly created fist - FuFu Flamingo Fist (富鶴雙拳).

The gorgeous man-made lake.

We're about to leave for our lunch.

A very eye catching name of a shop (為食貓).

Foshan's Dongfang gourmands corner, (東方美食坊).

The famous soup of pork stomach filled with chicken, (豬肚包雞湯).

Nice to see those old water pot.

Pour the water in it after washing the eating utensils.

She showed us the pork stomach with a chicken inside of it.

The waitress was way too friendly.

The interior of the restaurant.

Our soup was being heated up.

The scenes from the restaurant.

These old buildings are going to be demolished.

The set of our late lunch.

This soup of pork stomach filled with chicken, (豬肚包雞湯) is cooked with types of Chinese herbs, which is cooked unlike Malaysian's style (with black pepper). If you fancy pork stomach, this is definitely something different for a try. The pork stomach expresses a heavy scent of Chinese herbs and pepper. It will keep you warm during the winter time and helps to kick your insomnia away.

The pork stomach chicken soup with mushrooms.

The ultimate soup i had ever had!

The pork stomach was tender and it was sliced to long thin strips and actually looked like shredded chicken strips. The mushroom and the long cabbage matched the soup with rice pretty well. The soup was peppery to the point that it left a heat imprint on the tongue but not so much that it made it numb. YUMMY.

Sum liked the soup.

Jodie's tongue was burning!

The painted fortune god and new year poetry pasted everywhere.

The ancient Nanfeng Kiln (南風古灶).

To get a taste of an ancient trade, you could probably visit the ancient Nanfeng Kiln, where Foshan's legendary ceramics industry originated. Its history can be traced back at least five hundred years, to the Ming Dynasty.

We're late but at least we managed to leave our footprints there.

You'll most likely be impressed by the mere fact that the ancient kiln still functions, most of the original parts are intact, and you can even try your hand at making some pottery of your own. But remember to go there before 4pm or you would miss a truly "hands on" historical experience like us who arrived there at 5.30pm. All the attractions were closed except some of the ceramic shops waiting for the late visitors.

We casually walked around the area.

And we found a beautiful lake.

I failed to make the effect i want, yet still acceptable.

We left with no regret though.

We're back to the downtown.

Entered Ajisen for ramen.

What a shit, no photography allowed for its ramens!

We leisurely walked back to the hotel and called it a night after this shot.

迷迭香 : you watched the movie? damn i am hooked with the movie now... wish the part 2 will be out soon!! cant wait to watch it... hihihi well i have my own fufu kungfu =) okok the dimsums were just delicious =p

ChiroBie : still a long way to go till i real become a famous blogger =) i worked before but just stopped end of the year, now looking for japanese speaking position job, erm well when i write english my chinese bloggers asked me write more in chinese, and this happened to english too...so what should i do? so i once a while write in both chinese and english =) you should learn chinese =D